


Olympus Nights

by ArdentRaven



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Apex Games, F/F, First Dates, Mirage | Elliott Witt & Wraith | Renee Blasey Friendship, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-15 03:20:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29802150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArdentRaven/pseuds/ArdentRaven
Summary: Wraith struggles with stressful Apex games and complex emotions as she faces her attraction to her best friend - fortunately, her second best friend Mirage is around to help. A playful, somewhat whimsical, and entirely self-indulgent darksparks fic.
Relationships: Mirage | Elliott Witt/Rampart | Ramya Parekh, Wattson | Natalie Paquette/Wraith | Renee Blasey
Comments: 5
Kudos: 38





	Olympus Nights

Wraith hated placement leagues.

It was just another cash grab by the Syndicate. First it had been the partnership with Hammond, then the sponsored legends – a shiver went through her as she was reminded of Forge, and for the briefest moment she was happy they had gotten a murderous sociopath instead – and now, the placement leagues. “A unique opportunity for up-and-coming competitors to prove they have what it takes to become legends.” “Become your most deadly self.” “Compete with the greatest legends of the games.” The slogans made her roll her eyes every time they flashed across the banner screens or were broadcast throughout the arena. Even outside the game they wouldn’t leave her alone – apparently the games were doing well enough they could finally spend more on proper advertising. But at the end of the day, the placement leagues were a glorified bloodbath. Rookie competitors who had barely learned to hold a P20 the right way around, put in squads with legends who had won multiple championships. For the veterans, it was a frustrating exercise in patience. For these young competitors, it often meant their meteoric rise through the Apex ranks was cut short by a well-placed bullet. Another choice, another life taken.

That was how she had ended up in this sticky situation. As much as she complained about the newbies, truth was, they were actually dangerous. Wraith had known the other legends for years now, knew their tricks, their strengths and weaknesses. Even those that weren’t quite up to legend tier were still good. And when someone was good, they were predictable. Bad contestants though? Utterly unpredictable. Pure chaos. And that’s how she had come to find herself squeezing between two walls inside one of Olympus pompous estate buildings. She looked at the room and scoffed. Prefabricated was still prefabricated, even if plated with gold. The tasteless display of wealth annoyed her, but she quickly regained her composure and reloaded her weapon. She attempted to peak around the corner, but a stray of bullets made her change her mind.

She had foolishly followed the rookie squadmate as he had pushed the enemy squad – an idiot seeking glory and points, hoping to become a legend. Idiot. It didn’t take just skill to become a legend: It also took character and, most importantly, staying alive. Now her squadmate lay outside, his blood glistening on the pale marble of Olympus, and she could hear the excited clicking of Octane’s legs as he ran around the house, looking for the best angle of attack.

Soft static from her earpiece interrupted her thoughts.

“Ca va, Wraith? Where are you?” Wattson’s voice was chipper as ever, but Wraith knew her well enough to sense a note of genuine concern.

“I’m-“ Wraith paused, listened for a moment, then continued. “-in a ground building, north of you. Octavio’s circling me like a hyperactive shark with a drug addiction. And I think Hound’s got a shot on me.”

“MOVE” the voice in her head shouted, and she instinctively moved her head to the side. A split second later, a loud crack echoed through the air, like thunder, and the wall behind her exploded in a shower of wood splinters, struck by a charge Sentinel bullet. “Yeah,” Wraith continued, kneeling in the corner. “They definitely have a shot on me.” Bloodhound’s obsession with that ‘interesting weapon’ was starting to piss her off. If only they weren’t such a good shooter…

“Don’t worry. I have a plan. Can you make it down the hill?” Wattson’s voice came through the earpiece.  
“I think so. But Silva will be close behind.”

The ensuing giggle didn’t reassure Wraith at all. “Just let him come. My fences are ready. He’s in for a shock!”

Wraith rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t help but smile. With everything that had been going on lately, Natalie had been like a ray of sunlight on a rainy day. A positive influence, always happy, always ready to help. They had come a long way from when they had first joined the games, and while the past few months had been rough for everybody, Wraith was happy to have found such a good friend. When she was feeling down – within the games or other, more personal worries – the thought of Natalie’s cheerful laugh always made her feel better.

“Alright,” she said, matter-of-factly. A little too cold, maybe, she thought to herself. “What’s the plan?”

“Just make it to behind the big rock close to the railing, midway along the hill. When he follows, I will cut him off.”

Wraith peeked through the window, just for a moment. The big, white, artificial rock Wattson was talking about stood proudly in the tall grass, just a hundred or so meters away. “Fine. Coming now.” And with that, she stepped into the Void. Familiar cold surrounded her as a million dimensions opened to her mind at once. Once, this feeling had paralyzed her with fear. Now, she knew to use every valuable moment. She stood up and sprinted around the corner, jumping through the broken glass pane and into the open. Her ears filled with an endless repetition of Octane’s mechanical legs squeaking as he followed her – a grating echo that persisted through dimensions. How come there was no single reality in which that idiot did not blow his legs clean off?

She ran around the house and slid down the hill, gaining speed as she went. As she approached, another sound joined Octane’s legs behind her: the familiar, low hum of Wattson’s fence pylons. She gritted her teeth and, with some effort, let herself slip back into reality. Color returned to the world right as she finished her slide and threw herself to the side with surprising agility, hiding behind the rock.

“Haha chica, too slow for the Octrain!” Octane shouted, just a few meters behind her. That’s when Wattson, who had been hiding behind another rock, placed and activated a second pylon. A fence of electric energy sprung into existence between the two, cutting off Octane’s advance, but he was running too fast and could not avoid the trap in time. He growled in pain and surprise as he crossed the bright blue energy barrier, and his movements slowed to a halt. He had barely time to turn his head before Wattson shot him twice – once to the shoulder, then to the gut – and he fell to the ground, scattering spare ammo and stim syringes on the ground. One of the bright green containers kept rolling down the hill. A high-pitched sound echoed through the arena to confirm that he had been eliminated.

Wattson cheered, throwing both hands into the air. “Yes!” she exclaimed, before breaking into a heartfelt laugh. “Lights out, Octavio. Did you see that, Renée?” As she turned around, however, the games’ static defender gasped and dropped her gun in shock. Wraith was lying in the grass, leaning against one of the large artificial rocks of Olympus for support. Her right arm was lying across her abdomen, hand pressed against her left side. Warm, red blood was welling up between her gloved finger.

“Renée!” Wattson cried out, jumping to assist her. She knelt down beside her squadmate and gently grasped her hand with hers, exposing the wound.  
“Hurts like a bitch,” Wraith muttered through gritted teeth. “Let me bleed out – they’ll patch me up.”  
“No way!” Wattson protested. Her voice was soft as always, but her tone was clear: she would not accept a no for an answer.  
“Now wait. I have a Medkit…” She produced a red-and-white case from her backpack and took out a number of first-aid items. Wraith gripped the stock of her weapon tight as she shook slightly. Fortunately, Wattson seemed to be quite used to the procedure. Renée remarked on it, as the younger woman was methodically cleaning her wound and applying a curative gel. “You’ve done this a lot, it seems.”  
Wattson chuckled softly and brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. “I’m not a kid, Renée. I have been in the games for a while now.”  
There was a hint of sadness in her voice. No, not quite sadness. Maybe… maturity. Self-awareness. She really had changed, from a scared girl hiding under a kitchen table to one of the bravest legends she knew.  
“And besides,” Wattson continued, interrupting her train of thought. “You helped me when I was wounded, remember? Back in that… dark place.”  
The shadow dimension.  
Wraith did remember. She inhaled sharply, not from the pain, but from the memory. “Of course. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you…” she muttered. She suddenly felt herself blushing. How ridiculous!  
Wattson nodded softly while tending to the wound. It took a few seconds of heavy silence before she spoke again. When she did, there was the faintest hint of an excited quiver in her voice. “I just- Thank you. I know you care. But still. I want to… give back.” She drew a deep breath. Wraith realized that her friend had been fighting back tears. “You’re my best friend, Renée. I have seen so many bad things happen to the people I care about. I won’t let it happen again.”  
Wraith felt a weird sensation, as if her heart had at the same time skipped a beat and dropped in her chest. However, she quickly collected herself and, seeing that Wattson had finished her work, sat back up straight. “Then let’s not waste any more time” she said, grunting in pain as she stood up and extended a hand to her squadmate. “There’s still squads out there looking for us. Let’s work together – you patched me up, I’ll get you out. Agreed?”  
Wattson looked up, a surprised look on her face, then gave her a broad smile. “Agreed!” she exclaimed excitedly as she grabbed Wraith’s arm and pulled herself up as well.  
“Good.” Wraith gave her a wink. “Now give me a second.”  
She focused and, through the veil of pain she felt, opened her mind up to the void again. This time, however, she did not step into it as she had done before. Rather, she mentally visualized her current position, and tore open the thin barrier between dimensions. “Let’s go” she said as the portal opened. And they both entered the shifting, dark tear in space.

Bloodhound drew a slow breath. The heavy mask and respirator covering their face made a barely audible hissing sound as they emptied their lungs completely. Only then did the Apex games’ foremost hunter stop aiming down the scope of their Sentinel rifle. They gently placed it in the tall grass beside them but remained in a kneeling position, allowing themselves a brief moment of respite. The caw of Artur resounded loudly as the bird flew a circle overhead and sat down on Bloodhound’s shoulder. The hunter nodded one, briefly, and let out a brief, but amused chuckle. “Of course I could have taken the shot, Artur. But not all prey is to be hunted right away. Besides – there are many more andskoti to fell today.” 

* * *

“Alright, friends, it’s closing time. Go, go go. Time to leave.”  
The grating sound of the shutters slowly lowering echoed throughout the main room of the bar, drowning out Mirage’s voice. Wraith was sitting at the counter, seemingly lost in thought, stirring her appletini with a toothpick. She was dressed in casual attire, much more comfortable than the combat gear of the games: a pair of tight pants, comfortable shoes, and a simple, plan black tank top. She scoffed, trying to hide a smirk. Mirage had poked fun at her for it, but at least no one had bothered her all night.

“Soooooo, back to the second-best interdimensional skirmisher of the games…”  
‘Speak of the devil,’ Wraith thought to herself, as Elliott came back to the counter. He had finished closing down the bar for the night, but sometimes he allowed her to stay – especially on days like this, where he could tell she was feeling down. As much as he acted like a fool in the games, he was surprisingly good at figuring her out by now.  
“Second best?” Wraith asked. “Who would be the first?”  
“Well, that new sciency woman with the funky accent…”  
Wraith couldn’t help but chuckle. “That’s time-travel, not interdimensional void-tech. Not even that, it’s not technically time-travel, more…”  
“Yeah, whatever” Mirage cut her off, leaning down on the counter in front of her.  
“So. What’s up, babe? You barely touched your Mirage special appletini.”  
“’Babe?’ Is this supposed to be one of your, what, memes?”  
Mirage merely winked.  
“It’s just… nothing. It’s a hard time, ok? I just feel a bit… empty inside.”  
“You’re too hard on yourself. Maybe you just need some special attention.”  
As she gave him an accusatory glance, he raised his hands in defense. “Hey hey now. Not with me, no. I’m not implying anything. Just saying…”  
“Shut up” she cut him off, angrily downing her drink in one go. Then, she sighed.  
“No, quite the opposite. Actually, nobody bothered me today – that doesn’t happen often in this place.”  
Mirage blushed and chuckled nervously. “Yeah…” he said, his voice trembling ever so slightly. But Wraith picked up on it right away.  
“Elliott…”  
“I – huh? What was that? Did you say something?”  
“I’m not joking, Elliot. What’s up?”  
Mirage tried to give her a reassuring smile, but it ended up more of an embarrassed grimace. “I, well, uh…” He drew a long breath. “I may have started a rumor about you.”  
As her face changed to reflect her anger, he quickly added “but – hey, nothing bad, I swear. And it keeps the guys away, right? Not like you ever showed any interest..”  
“Elliot, you have exactly three seconds to tell me everything before I kick your ass back to Solace in every dimension in which I haven’t done so already.”  
“Wait, you mean in some you did-“  
“Speak!”  
“Ok, ok fine!” Mirage took a deep breath, leaned on the counter, and tilted his head slightly. He gave Wraith a smug grin, raising an eyebrow. His patented Apex Legend look. He said it worked wonders on the ladies – but she only stared at him coldly. “I may or may not have told some of the patrons that you, uh, you don’t fancy the boys. If you get what I mean.”  
“You WHAT!?”  
“Hey, relax, ok? It’s not like you ever showed interest in any of them anyways-“  
“Because they’re GROSS and pathetic.”  
“Ok. Ouch. Ol’ Jim is a real nice guy…”  
“He grabbed my ass!”  
“Fine. They’re gross and pathetic. But hey, it worked, didn’t it? They leave you alone now.”  
“Yeah, but-“ She rolled her eyes and sunk back in her seat. Mirage eyed her curiously. There was a moment of silence. Then he cautiously asked: “Really though?”  
She raised a single eyebrow. “’Really though’ what?”  
“Come on, Renée. You know what I mean.”  
She gave him a look halfway between questioning and annoyed.  
“Have you never been, like, curious?”  
“What do you mean?”  
“You know, curious. About other chicks. ‘Just gals being pals’ and all that stuff. Shy moments of intem… inter… shy kissing as teens?”  
Wraith blushed and looked away. “I have lost my memories – remember?”  
“Yeah, right. And what about now, huh?” Mirage leaned back and clasped his hands together, singing in a mocking falsetto: “The heart does not forgeee-eeeeet.”  
Her only reply was shooting him an angry look.  
“Oh don’t be silly. I’ve seen the way you look at Natalie. Just two fri-“  
“Shut up!” she interrupted him. “We are nothing but friends. I like Nat, but-“ She drew a sharp breath, biting her tongue.  
“Buuuuut?”  
“It doesn’t matter, does it? We’re just friends. She would agree.”  
“Gotcha there.” Mirage chuckled, but before she could protest he raised a hand and turned around. “Hey, now, gimme a break. How about I prepare you one of my Witt certified specials, and we talk it out over drinks?”  
Wraith grumbled something unintelligible in response. Mirage went to prepare his special – which turned out to take just a few moments and limited ingredients. He produced two glasses filled with a brownish liquid on ice.  
“What is this,” Wraith asked.  
“Just try it.”  
She took a sip and grimaced. “This is disgusting. And hot. What the fuck?”  
“I’ll have you know it’s an interplanetary hit – or will be, as soon as word gets out. Whiskey on ice with lime juice, coke, a slice of lemon – and, for a bit of a punch, a dash of tabasco.”  
Wraith gave him a long, questioning look. Then her eyes wandered to the second glass.  
“You haven’t touched yours.”  
“I don’t drink on the job.”  
“Bullshit.”  
“Shush! This isn’t about me, Renée. This is about you, and Nat. So?”  
She sighed. “So what?”  
“I have noticed how you look at her.”  
“I don’t…” She sighed again and took another sip. With some effort, she stifled a cough. “Nat is a good friend. She makes me happy, ok? It’s not a good time and she’s just nice to be around.”  
“Very nice to be around, maybe?”  
“Yeah, fine. Very nice to be around.” She drew a long breath, as if to calm herself. “I don’t know, ok? I never really think about these things much. Usually people approach me and I just know I’m not into it. This isn’t like it. I don’t know how I feel.” Her thoughts went back to everything she and Natalie had been through. How all the legends had taken the young woman under their wing. How they had become friends, just two people that had lost everything in their lives. “When we saved her after the whole mess with Loba’s artefact…” Wraith said, and now her voice was softer, her breaths shallower. Insecure. “I just – looking at her, I couldn’t help but think that I don’t want to be away from her. In that moment, I thought I had lost everything I care about, again.”  
“Wow, way to make me feel bad.”  
“Shut up, idiot!” she replied, but she couldn’t help but give him a brief smirk. “I don’t know. I try so hard to be a different person from who I was. To not be the IMC researcher that did all those horrible things. But I am starting to think… maybe I am trying so hard to run from my past, I am not living the present.”  
Mirage nodded sagely. “See, that was my entire point.”  
She snorted. “Yeah, thanks. Very wise.” With that, she downed the rest of her drink. “Mirage – this sucks. Please revise your recipe.”  
“Fine, fine. Now continue.”  
“I don’t know what else there is to say. I mean, I doubt she feels the same way. She can be hard to figure out at the best of times, and I really have no way to, you know… do anything about it.”  
“Are you sure about that?” With a grin, Mirage produced a key card from his pocket and held it up to her face.  
“Elliot – what is that?”  
“Olympus access card. Gives you access to the arena at any time.”  
“Where did you get that?”  
Mirage shrugged. “I found it.”  
“Don’t lie to me.”  
“Hey, what does it matter? Actually, I wanted to use it myself – you know, bring a cute chick there, show her the arena, make her look at the grass really close…”  
“You’re disgusting.”  
“I’m kidding! Here, take it. The games are closed while they set up for the next placement leagues anyway. Go on a date with Nat, sponsored by yours truly.”  
Wraith looked at him, then the keycard, then back to him.  
“You’re not being serious.”  
“It totally am, but I am starting to have second thoughts. Take it, before I change my mind.”  
Wraith pondered for a second. One moment in time, one choice to make.  
With an embarrassed smile, she took the card.

* * *

Setting everything up had been surprisingly easy. Mirage’s keycard – wherever he had gotten it from, Wraith still did not know – had gotten them access to one of the personnel ships travelling back and forth between Psamathe and Olympus. The MRVN pilot only gave occasional status updates, leaving an awkward silence between the two passengers. Natalie had tried to make some conversation, but Wraith was too nervous to really say much. She felt like she had exhausted her courage by inviting Natalie out, asking her to come visit Olympus “during closing hours” with her with a cheesy excuse: to check out the technical details of the city in the clouds, all that fascinating handiwork that they were too busy to focus on during the games. At least, Nat had readily accepted the invite, even though Wraith was not so sure now if it was because of herself, or out of interest in the technology.  
“Approaching landing location” the robotic pilot stated, coldly. Fuck, this one almost made her miss Path’s chipper attitude.  
“I am sooo excited! How did you even get this opportunity, Renée?” Wattson exclaimed, clapping her hands and giving Wraith a wide smile. She had come in more casual attire, one of her comfortable overalls, but sleeveless and without her usual heavy jacket. She was growing her hair out a bit, and her bangs had come to reach down to her eyebrows, which made her huff before blowing it out of her face. Wraith blushed at the scene and cursed herself for being too awkward to compliment her. This was… harder than she wanted to admit.  
“I just… got lucky. Don’t worry about it.”  
As the ship landed gently just outside turbine, Nat gave Renée a weird look. She seemed... amused?  
“Don’t worry? That makes me worry, Renée. Are we doing something illegal?”  
“Maybe. Who cares – let’s have some fun, yeah?” She gave a weak smile, the jumped out of the ship, landing on the metallic ground with a soft sound. Natalie landed just behind her.

The dark bubble of the void Rift dominated the sight opening before them. Wraith shifted uncomfortably.  
“Was it void-tech that you wanted to show me?” Natalie asked excitedly as she stepped forward, passing Wraith and approaching the edge of the bubble.  
“I…”  
“It’s fascinating to think about all the work that went into it, isn’t it? It’s still mysterious to me. Void travel is really the latest frontier of multi-dimensional quantum physics.”  
“Yeah.”  
Natalie turned around, and her smile turned into a concerned expression as she saw Wraith standing there, looking at her feet.  
“Ca va? Is there a problem?”  
“It’s just – it’s dangerous, you know? It’s… weird to see what happens when the tech I use… the things I can do… gets out of hand.”  
“Merde!” Natalie muttered under her breath, as she quickly walked back towards Wraith. Coming to a halt in front of her, she took her friend’s hand in her own. “I am sorry. That was selfish. This must be hard for you.”  
Wraith only looked at her, eyes wide, blushing.  
“How could I think you wanted to look at something to painful for you. That was my fault.”  
“Nat-“  
“Let’s forget about this, ok?”  
Wraith exhaled, trying to calm her nerves. Then she nodded slowly. “It’s ok. No need to apologize. I want this to be… a good time, For both of us.”  
Now it was Natalie’s time to blush, even if only barely. She nodded. “Yes. Let’s go!”  
With that, she turned around and started walking towards energy storage, dragging Renée with her, still holding her hand.

“And this right here is a triple buffer in the capacitor. Quite complex. It both facilitates and regulates the flow of energy from one part of the system to the other. This single tiny thing…” Wattson tapped the small, box-shaped component with the tip of her insulated screwdriver.  
Wraith chuckled. “I still can’t believe you always carry these tools with you.”  
Natalie turned to look at her and pouted in an exaggerated display of surprise. “Whaaat? It’s almost like you don’t know me at all!” Then she laughed as she focused on the circuit again. “Better not touch anything or something may happen during the games. But looking is fun!”  
Wraith shook her head and smiled. “You’re just full of surprises.”  
“Weren’t you a scientist as well?”  
“Sort of.” She looked at the ground and shrugged. “Can’t really remember much.”  
“Nonsense.”  
Wraith huffed amusedly at Nat’s accent. It sounded like ‘non-sons.’  
“Besides, how are you going to remember if you don’t even try to learn? Here.”  
With that, Wattson shuffled to the side and made space for her friend, beckoning her closer. “Come take a look.”  
With a slight frown, Wraith knelt down beside the younger woman. She looked intently as Wattson explained the various part of the circuit, commented on a particularly interesting piece of tech. Every now and then she tried to ask a question, and got an excited answer in response, and soon the conversation veered off-topic, and the two ended up kneeling one close to another, laughing and enjoying their time together.

“No way!” Wraith said, cheeks flushed from all the laughing. Natalie was sitting beside her, leaning against the railing, covering her face with one hand, eyes closed, trying to rein in her chuckling.  
“Yes, I swear. Crypto told me about it. Apparently the pumpkin story is… famous.”  
They both laughed out loud again, and the sound of their voices echoed through the suspended walkways of the energy depot. Breathing heavily, the two women tried to calm themselves.  
“I knew Elliott was weird but… wow.”  
Wraith shook her head, then massaged her cheeks. “My face hurts. I’m really not used to smiling this much.”  
“Ah, c’est terrible, Renée. You ought to laugh more!” With that, Wattson turned around and gave her a wide, amused smile, eyes closed, her face blushing. “Comme ca! It’s an… electrifying feeling.” She broke into laughter once more, then opened her eyes, and tilted her head slightly. “Renée?”  
Wraith was looking at her, blushing, eyes wide. How had she been so stupid, lying to herself for so long? Seeing Natalie like this, happy, smiling, eyes closed, hair gently moving in the wind… she had almost leaned in to kiss her.  
Almost.  
“Renée?” Natalie asked again.  
“Huh? Yeah. Yeah, I uuuh… I really do. Sure.”  
Natalie laughed again. “You looked distracted. Were you thinking about something?”  
Wraith turned away, looking into the distance. Suddenly, she became aware of how fast her heart was beating in her chest.  
“Yes, actually.”  
“Oh?” Natalie raised her eyebrows quizzically.  
“I’m just happy to be here with you, Nat. We’ve been through a lot, in the games and outside, and I just feel… good around you. You make me happy.” She shook her head slightly. “And that’s no small feat.”  
Now it was Wattson’s turn to blush. She quickly averted her gaze, staring in the same direction as her friend, apparently lost in thought. After a while, she tentatively replied.  
“I – you also make me happy, Renée. You’re my best friend.”  
Of course.  
Her best friend.  
Wraith drew a long breath. It took all her force of will to not punch the wall next to her. Instead she flexed her fist a few times.  
Suddenly, she felt Wattson’s hand grab hers, wrapping around her closed fist. She took another deep breath to calm down, then turned around. Her eyes met Nat’s.  
“Are you alright?” she asked.  
“Of course.” Wraith tried hard to smile. “Best friends?”  
“O-of course. Best friends.” There was a faint quiver in Wattson’s voice, the briefest hint of something else. A moment of silence followed her words, and the two just looked at each other, hands interlocked.  
Then, the moment passed.  
Wraith looked around, and her eyes fixated on the distant buildings along one of Olympus many grassy sloped, towards the gardens area. She felt the sudden need to walk, to stretch her limbs.  
“Let’s go for a walk, yeah?”  
Wattson nodded.

* * *

Despite the earlier exchange, Wraith tried hard not to worry too much. Sure, Wattson’s words had hurt her in a way she didn’t expect, didn’t even think she could feel – right when she was beginning to feel something, to live in the present after such a long time trying to evade her past, those words felt like a slap in the face.  
‘My best friend.’  
Screw that. She liked Nat, and she wouldn’t let that ruin their day together.  
And so, the two had walked from the depot to the large, artificial hill just beyond the marble-and-gold buildings of garden. Natalie herself had been surprisingly silent. Wraith didn’t think she knew what was going on with her feelings, but she could definitely tell something was off. Still, they had both soon settled back into a semblance of normalcy, just walking together, talking, albeit more softly, more carefully almost. Now they stood at the bottom of the large hill, walking the narrow path between artificial rocks and stainless steel railings, watching the trees move rhythmically in the wind. The sky was quickly turning an intense orange color as the sun began to set.  
“I have never seen this place in the evening” Wattson mused, still speaking softly. “We always play during the day.”  
Wraith nodded, then stopped. She looked at the horizon. High up in the sky as they were, the sun set earlier, and faster. Soon, it would disappear completely behind the clouds. “Do you want to get a better look?” She asked. She thought it sounded a bit too excited, but she had spoken almost without thinking, just proposing the first thing that had come to mind.  
Wattson looked at her, then the sky, back at her, and smiled. “Oui!” she exclaimed. She turned to walk up the hill, but Wraith chuckled.  
“Let’s get there faster.”  
With barely any effort, she tore into the very fabric of reality, opening a portal to the top of the hill. ‘Screw this’ she thought, again. ‘This is the most time we have ever spent together. Let’s make the best of it.’  
“See you on the other side,” Wraith said, then she winked. A with a quick step, she was gone.  
“Up here!” she shouted just moments later. Wattson looked at the crest of the hill, where Wraith stood, waving at her. “Come, move!”

Wraith saw Wattson step through her portal. For a moment, she was alone. Then, she heard a loud “surprise!” behind her. She barely had time to turn around before Wattson, emerging from the portal, jumped onto and hugged her. She wrapped her legs around Wraith, laughing, and they both lost their balance, falling onto the ground.  
Even the ground on Olympus was manufactured perfection: soft soil, covered in thick grass. Wraith barely felt the impact. Wattson was on top of her, but the sheer momentum of their fall quickly propelled them further. Wattson was still laughing, and Wraith soon joined in, as the two tumbled all the way down the hill again, embracing each other.  
“You’re crazy!” Wraith shouted, still laughing. Wattson didn’t reply, too lost in the moment, hugging Wraith more tightly and burying her face in the nape of her neck.  
Finally, their chaotic tumble came to a stop as they reached the foot of the hill once more. Hugging each other tightly, laughing, and covered in soft dirt and grass, they remained there for a second, enjoying the moment.  
Then, Wattson opened her eyes and looked up. She pulled back ever so slightly, and her eyes met Wraith’s.  
They both blushed.  
“Oh, I should-“ Wattson began, but she was cut short as Wraith suddenly reached for her shoulders and held onto her.  
And then, Wraith felt something new. She was used to the voices by now, but this was the first time they were not a chorus of screams and warnings. Instead, they whispered in unison. A warm, gentle encouragement.

_Do it._

“Nat, just – just stay here. Please?”  
Wattson blushed, and her eyes widened. She did not move, however.  
“I like this” Wraith continued. “I like you. And I just want to stay like this, forever.”  
“Renée, I…”  
Wraith bit her lip, fighting back tears.  
“Nat…”  
Her hand wandered from Natalie’s shoulder to the back of her head. As she gently ran her fingers through the thick, blonde hair, Wraith could feel Natalie lean into her touch.  
“I like you too.” Nat broke into a nervous giggle. Tears of joy welled up in her eyes.  
“I thought… I god. I am just so happy.”  
“Me too.”  
Renée pulled Natalie closer. The wind around them picked up. Between the tall grass of Olympus, they shared their first kiss.

* * *

“Awwww. I knew it. Ok, folks, that’s it. We’ve done our duty – time to give them some privacy.”  
Mirage leaned forward in the heavy chair and flicked a switch on the console. The dozen or so screens flickered, then went completely dark. The faint red overhead light was the only remaining source of illumination in the control room.  
“Good thing I caught wind of this place. Can you imagine how awkward it would’ve been if this guy had seen all of that?”  
He turned around, looking at the unconscious security guard lying on the ground, hands cuffed behind his back. “Truly, my dupes and I saved the day. As usual. Perfect set-up, masterful execution, and we also kept the lovebirds’ privacy.”  
“Are you done, Witt?”  
Rampart emerged from the door. Mirage gave her a smug grin.  
“Almost. Why?”  
His face changed from amused to surprised as she unfastened her belt and slipped out of her clothes.  
“Shut up and put that tongue to good use, Witt. We don’t have all day.”


End file.
